The virtual reality market has expanded substantially over the last few years in response to advances in computing and stereoscopic displays.
Virtual Reality (VR) comprises a computer simulated environment that can simulate a physical presence in places in the real world or imagined worlds. Conventionally, current virtual reality environments are primarily visual experiences, displayed on a screen or through special stereoscopic display head gear. The simulated environments can be similar to the real world in order to create lifelike experiences or it differs significantly from reality, such as in VR games. Advantageously, virtual reality and/or simulated environments as described herein can be used in a number of application areas including but not limited to: real estate, architecture, product design, human behavior analysis, user training, gaming, product and marketing evaluation, design verification, data visualization, teleoperation, and telepresence or any physical environment that for reasons of, for example, cost or potential harm to a user can be simulated rather than directly experienced. In addition, virtual reality as described herein may also be used in augmented reality environments, including for example, in an automotive virtual reality environment.
Augmented Reality (AR) generally refers to a computer simulated environment combined with the real world. Conventionally, the elements of the real world are augmented with computer generated graphics. Often, translucent stereoscopic headsets are worn by the user in AR simulations.
Historically, the interactive visualization and virtual reality industry has been fractured. A Company A may provide display head gear and a Company B may provide wearable position tracking technologies. Each of these companies generally provides specialized development execution software in association with their proprietary technologies. An issue for virtual reality content creators and virtual reality end-users (e.g., those end users putting into practice virtual reality to solve problems) is that they are generally responsible for systems integration of the separate technologies of the fragmented industry—a task for which virtual reality content creators and virtual reality end-users are ill-equipped to handle or is a distraction from their primary corporate objectives. Additionally, an interactive visualization environment (e.g., a virtual reality environment) generally includes a dedicated room, high ceilings, mounted cameras, lighting, cabling, computing servers, tracking devices, and specialized software for each hardware device, all appropriately configured to integrate in the dedicated environment. To see a demonstration of virtual reality content and to run real-time simulations with test subjects and/or interested parties, the subjects generally must travel to the dedicated interactive visualization environment. This lack of mobility increases virtual reality creators and virtual reality end-users' expense and creates significant barriers in the marketing and sales process. Thus, there is a need to provide a turn-key interactive real-time, visualization and simulation environment, comprising hardware and software components, which can be utilized by content creators and end-users to create immersive visualization experiences. In addition, there is a need to provide a portable implementation of said turn-key interactive real-time, visualization and simulation environment at the customer prospect's and/or end user's location.
As previously described, there are certain hardware/software challenges associated with virtual reality system integration for virtual reality content creators and virtual reality end-users. As the market of virtual reality expands, later adopters of virtual reality are less sophisticated and less patient then early adopters. Consequently, it is even more important that a turn-key interactive real-time, visualization and simulation environment be even more portable and easier to use out-of-the-box (or within the box, as further described below).